International Champions Cup organiser calls Jose Mourinho a "pain in the butt"

International Champions Cup organiser Charlie Stillitano has branded Jose Mourinho a “pain in the butt” over the Manchester United manager’s determination to have training facilities exactly to his specifications for the preseason tournament.

Mourinho had voiced his complaints during United’s summer tour to the US, though his concerns had more to do with the limited availability of players in his squad due to the World Cup.

Stillitano had expressed his support for Mourinho over that particular gripe, and his latest comments were also meant tongue-in-cheek.

“Jose, he’s a pain in the butt when it comes to making sure everything is perfect at his training facility,” Stillitano told ESPN FC.

The two seem to enjoy a good relationship, judging by the American executive’s remarks.

“He’s a good man and he’s been really good to us and I understand him better than most I’d say,” Stillitano said of Mourinho.

“I think managers that I know see us as the guys who take them abroad. And for them the reality is that they take it very seriously. The managers take it very seriously. And the commercial people take it very serious for their business to grow their brand.

“But the managers take it more than anybody, want the right atmosphere, want the right training environment. They want to prepare their team and our tournament has become the best tournament of its kind, and its kind is really to prepare the team, so they take it very seriously.”

Stillitano also said he and Mourinho “had a few cheeky words together,” about the proposed La Liga fixture in the USA, with reports from Spain suggesting that Barcelona will play Girona in Miami in January.

Clubs

Interview: Lee Sharpe envious of Man United rivals Man City and Liverpool's stylish play

Lee Sharpe won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Man United.

It pains Lee Sharpe to say it, but he has no issues admitting he casts an envious eye at the stylish and swashbuckling way Manchester City and Liverpool are cutting teams to shreds these days.

That used to be the way he and Manchester United played under the masterful guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, who turned the Red Devils into a devilish force in English football during his near three-decade reign.

A mammoth 38 trophies were accrued from 1986-2013 as the sublime Scotsman awoke a slumbering beast and got them flying again.

His 13 top-flight titles saw United overtake a tally from bitter rivals Liverpool that once looked unbeatable. Two Champions Leagues and five FA Cups were also reeled in.

Sharpe burned brightly but all too briefly in the red jersey from 1988-96. A succession of injuries, illness, lack of focus and the rises of Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis all contributed to stopping him fully establishing himself as a United great.

He played a part nevertheless in their return to prominence as a skillful and fun-loving footballer who helped the Old Trafford-outfit rediscover their swagger. The versatile midfielder strutted his stuff with a penchant for brilliant goals and even more eye-catching celebrations.

Something that has caught the eye of Sharpe in more recent years, however, has been United’s decline – deepened by a renouncing of the club’s famed style of play and the rise of their rivals.

Neighbours from the blue half of Manchester broke records at will last term – including the most goals scored in a Premier League campaign. Liverpool’s breathtaking style of football also carried them all the way to the Champions League final.

United fans, meanwhile, have been forced to bear witness to turgid and tentative possession-based game favoured by the prehistoric Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, who himself is at risk of becoming extinct at Old Trafford.

“It pains me to see what is happening at United,” reveals Sharpe, who will be the special guest at the DSA Open taking place at Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course on Thursday, September 13, as part of the DHL Swing Against Cancer Golf Series.

“Last season was tough to watch at times with the team not really playing fluid or entertaining, attacking football like we’re used to seeing.

“I know he has his methods, Jose, but it makes it doubly as bad with City and Liverpool playing such attacking, entertaining football and getting great results. It makes it even worse to watch.

“I wish they played more like those two teams, absolutely. When you watch City and Liverpool, and United of old, the first pass was forward and everybody played one and two touches. We played quickly and it was hard to mark and defend against. To watch us now can be painful.”

Jose Mourinho is not getting the best out of his attacking players, such as Marcus Rashford, according to Sharpe.

Mourinho brought in marauding Brazil midfielder Fred in this summer from Shakhtar Donetsk for £53.1million, as well as Portuguese full-back Diogo Dalot from Porto and back-up goalkeeper Lee Grant.

But his biggest gripe was failing to bring in the centre-backs he covets. Pursuits of Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld, Leicester’s England World Cup hero Harry Maguire and Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng all failed to come to fruition.

But Sharpe wants Mourinho to stop employing negative tactics and bring the best out of a rich core of attacking talent already at his disposal.

He says: “The talent he’s got in midfield and up front is absolutely unbelievable.

“You don’t need a decent centre-half if you defend from the front and put teams under the cosh in their half.

“The talent he’s got going forward in [Anthony] Martial, [Marcus] Rashford, [Jesse] Lingard, [Romelu] Lukaku, [Alexis] Sanchez, it’s phenomenal and to not be getting the best out of them and to watch them struggling and looking lethargic and lacking in confidence, is such a shame.”

Ferguson established an empire that has started to ever so slightly crumble since the Scot’s retirement.

One thing that is overlooked is how adaptable Ferguson was, as he constantly looked to re-invent himself and his teams.

Ferguson ripped up his squads on several occasions throughout his reign, but an inability or refusal to change is something that led to the demise of his great rival at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger.

And refusing to change is something Sharpe senses could lead to Mourinho’s own downfall.

“That’s one thing showing now with Mourinho,” says the 47-year-old.

“He came over, called himself the ‘Special One’ and went out and won things. He was full of life and entertaining in his press conferences when he first came over. Now he’s dour, depressed, fed up and his team’s playing the same way.

“If you’re calling yourself the Special One you have to be able to move with the times like Sir Alex did. He always had something up his sleeve if one thing wasn’t working. He always had an alternative way to win.”

Ferguson was often said to rule with an iron fist during more than two-and-a-half decades at the helm of Old Trafford. If he fell out with anyone, it was they who came off worse.

Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba appear to have a frosty relationship.

No-one was bigger than the manager and certainly not the club. David Beckham, Jaap Stam, Paul Ince, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane were all sent packing.

Even though player power has come to the fore since the landmark Bosman ruling in 1995, it was never something United suffered with under Ferguson.

Whereas off the field Mourinho’s relationship with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is severely being tested, in the dressing room the tie between coach and star player Paul Pogba is also causing friction – with the flamboyant Frenchman constantly linked with a move away following being benched by Mourinho during a poor patch of form last season.

There used to only be one winner in a war with Ferguson. But now, Sharpe feels the manager is the underdog.

“Player power has grown over the last 10-15 years because of the wages they’re on,” he says.

“It’s difficult for a manager at that level to keep power over a group. And when you’re not winning trophies there’s not much of a hook to keep you there.

“It used to be players would never want to leave United and Liverpool. But now there’s plenty of big clubs throwing money and able to challenge in the Champions League.

“You have more alternatives as a player at a big club. I’m not sure if it’s a case of him losing control but the players not agreeing with the tactics and the way they’re playing, it’s a bit of a problem.”

*Lee Sharpe will be the special guest at the DSA Open taking place at Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course on Thursday, September 13. It will be followed by an ‘evening with Lee Sharpe’. The event is now sold out, but people can get in touch to be added to the waiting list. E-mail [email protected] for more information.

Man United must consider Pogba sale to Barcelona as situation becomes untenable

If Manchester United fans were torn between backing Paul Pogba or Jose Mourinho in the duo’s well-publicised feud, the former has now made that choice a very simple one for them.

The victory away to Burnley was a crucial one for the club and allowed the players to jet off on international duty in good spirits rather than having the disappointing start to the season fester over the break. United supporters were revelling in a fine team performance only for Pogba to ruin it all by casting a shadow of doubt over his future.

“My future is currently in Manchester,” he told Sky Germany. “I still have a contract. I’m playing there at the moment, but who knows what will happen in the next few months?”

This comes after a week of several comments from the Barcelona camp heaping praise on Pogba and inviting a potential move to the Camp Nou.

Both Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez have voiced their appreciation of the Frenchman, going as far as to say he would be welcomed at Barcelona. Club vice-president Jordi Mestre followed suit.

If Pogba were to move to Barcelona, it wouldn’t be by means of a simple transaction. The 25-year-old is a major commercial asset with three years left on his contract at United and an agreement would be complex. The noises coming from the Barca camp and the player, in the same week, is no coincidence though. A transfer is being carefully orchestrated and it has the fingerprints of puppeteer Mino Raiola all over it.

As Pogba’s agent, Raiola stands to benefit from another big-money for his client. But whether or not the player is being influenced by the Italian is besides the point. Pogba is old enough to make his own decisions and clearly isn’t happy at United. Holding on to a player who doesn’t want to be there and is as outspoken as he is, can be potentially toxic for the rest of the squad.

Mino Raiola

Mourinho has his own two-year contract to serve out, meaning what the club need more than anything else at the moment, is for the players to fight for the manager. Pogba evidently isn’t up to the task.

“We have a pure coach-player relationship. That’s how it is,” Pogba said.

“One thing I can assure you: I will always give 100 per cent, regardless for which coach. I always give everything for United – I cannot say more.”

Admittedly, Mourinho may not have handled his relationship with Pogba as well as he could have. When the Portuguese is confronted by a big ego, it can go two ways. Either they’re on the same wavelength and enjoy a relationship based on mutual respect or their affiliation is riddled by a feeling of contempt.

Even so, Mourinho has attempted to extend an olive branch of late. His comments about Pogba have been far more favourable since the start of the season and he even handed him the captain’s armband in Antonio Valencia’s absence, imploring the midfielder to lead United like he did France over the summer.

It didn’t have the desired effect though. Pogba has managed to muster fleeting displays of his quality but has largely been disappointing – neatly summarising his time at the club since his return. He even questioned his own attitude whilst sporting the armband in a 3-2 defeat away to Brighton.

It’s become obvious that Pogba has no desire to make amends, rendering the relationship between player and coach untenable. United must look forward, thereby casting the troublesome Frenchman aside.

Pogba has all the talent in the world but that means nothing if he’s determined to do all his talking off the pitch. In his two seasons since transferring from Juventus for a then world record fee, he’s only put together a handful of genuinely impressive performances – at best.

The haircuts, the cryptic social media posts and not-so-subtle jibes at the manager – none of it would’ve been tolerated by Sir Alex Ferguson. Pogba would’ve been shoved out of Old Trafford before he could say ‘dab’. The Scot didn’t pander to him in 2012, allowing him to join Juventus on a free transfer instead, and United mustn’t pander to him now. Far greater and accomplished players have been ushered towards the exit at United in the past.

Given the current market, he’s likely to command a substantial fee with the Red Devils standing to make a significant profit and he’s hardly proved to be irreplaceable. Despite his commercial value, even money man Ed Woodward may now believe enough is enough.

United need strong characters willing to pull together and fight at the moment, not a prima donna simply going through the motions and disrespecting the club at every turn.